MEM

And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb(Rev 22:1)

For His Glory!

Message

Kings and Priests in Action

Revelation 5:10 KJV

And hast made us unto our God kings and PRIESTS: and we shall REIGN on the EARTH. (NAS unless indicated, bolding added)

Rev 20:6

Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; …they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Are We Preparing for That Responsibility?

(This Message is based on a writhing by Nathan Albright)

One aspect of the return of Jesus Christ, and the establishment of His Kingdom on earth, is that believers look forward to being granted the promised roles of king and priest in His Kingdom. But how often have we stopped to examine what specific responsibilities we will have as governors and leaders in God’s Kingdom? What will be expected of us if and when God makes us kings and priests?

Consider the way Jesus Christ will determine who rules over cities in His Kingdom by the parable given in Luke 19:11-24.

Now Just before Yeshua’s (Jesus’) crucifixion11 … He went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, "A certain nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. 13 And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business with thisuntil I comeback.'

What did they do with the mina?

Luke 19:15

"And it came about that when he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him in order that he might know what business they had done.

Luke 19:16

"And the first appeared, saying, 'Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 "And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, be in authority over ten cities.' 18 "And the second came, saying, 'Your mina, master, has made five minas.' 19 "And he said to him also, 'And you are to be over five cities.'

The danger if we do not use the Mina?

Luke 19:20

"And another came, saying, 'Master, behold your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' 22 He said to him, 'By your own words I will judge you… 23 'Then why did you not put the money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?' 24 And he said to the bystanders, 'Take the mina away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.'

Yeshua is that nobleman who went into the far kingdom of heaven to receive His kingdom and then to eventually return back to earth to establish His rule. In this parable, He gives His believers the same amount of money, symbolic of the Holy Spirit and wisdom that God gives us when we are converted. Yeshua rewards believers … based on their trading-their work and development of their God-given natural talents and abilities. Those who are lazy servants who fail to develop their gifts are not given any cities to rule at all.

Then what are the Duties Of A King?

Have you stopped to ponder what a king (ruler, governor, leader, minister) would be expected to do? And, by implication, what would he be expected to know about God’s law in order to apply it as a ruler?

Here is an example of a ruler (governor) set over Judea by the authority of the Persian King. They were to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple which was in total ruin. Will not the cities of the earth be in total ruin before the establishment of God’s Kingdom?

A hands on Kingdom

Isa 61:4

Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up the former devastations, And they will repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations… 6 But you will be called the priests of the LORD; You will be spoken of asministers of our God…

Be prepared to handle potential issues with the practical application of YHVH’s Word.

Nehemiah dealing with the rich exploiting the poor?

Nehemiah 5:1

Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. 2 For there were those who said, "We, our sons and our daughters, are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live." 3 And there were others who said, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine." 4 Also there were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 And now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others."

Nehemiah’s Righteous Decision:

Nehemiah 5:6

Then I [Nehemiah] was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words. 7 And I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, "You are exacting usury, each from his brother!" Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. 8 And I said to them, "We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?" Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.

Nehemiah 5:9

Again I said, "The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10 And likewise I, my brothers and my servants, are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury. 11 Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you are exacting from them."

Nehemiah 5:12

Then they said, "We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say." So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. 13 I also shook out the front of my garment and said, "Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied." And all the assembly said, "Amen!" And they praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise.

Wisely applying YHVH’s principles at every turn in our lives today will help us prepare to rule tomorrow. Here we see that the poor Jews had mortgaged their homes and properties to pay for food and taxes and had even been forced to sell their children into servitude. Nehemiah enforced Leviticus 25:36 which forbids the charging of any interest whatsoever to a poor Israelite. To their credit, the wealthy Jews gave back the slaves, property, interest, and grain that they had taken from the poor. Be ready to show the same passionate defense in the interests of the poor.

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Another of Nehemiah’s examples of how a godly governor behaves when confronted with disobedience to God’s laws. Nehemiah enforces the Sabbath in Jerusalem.

The issue:

Nehemiah 13:15

In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food. 16 Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the Sabbath, even in Jerusalem.

Addressing the issue:

Nehemiah 13:17

Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers do the same so that our God brought on us, and on this city, all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath."

Acting on the Issue:

Nehemiah 13:19

And it came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the Sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates that no load should enter on the Sabbath day.

Even some heavy handed tactics may be needed:

Nehemiah 13:20

Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 Then I warned them and said to them, "Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you." From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the Sabbath day. For this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Thy lovingkindness.

Some people in Judah were working on the Sabbath; this is unacceptable per the Ten Commandments; which require rest on the Sabbath from their labors. Not only was it a sin for the Jews to work on the Sabbath, but it was also a sin for the nobles to profit from the work of anyone else on the Sabbath. What is your godly standard for the Sabbath?

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Priest and Judges

Be enlightened as to how much knowledge of God’s law is necessary. In this example a godly king appoints judges and priests for the people.

2Chronicles 19:4

So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem and went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 5 And he appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.

2Chronicles 19:6

And he said to the judges, "Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD who is with you when you render judgment. 7 Now then let the fear of the LORD be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the LORD our God will have no part in unrighteousness, or partiality, or the taking of a bribe."

2Chronicles 19:8

And in Jerusalem also Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the heads of the fathers' households of Israel, for the judgment of the LORD and to judge disputes among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 9 Then he charged them saying, "Thus you shall do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and wholeheartedly. 10 And whenever any dispute comes to you from your brethren who live in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you shall warn them that they may not be guilty before the LORD, and wrath may not come on you and your brethren. Thus you shall do and you will not be guilty.

2Chronicles 19:11

"And behold, Amariah the chief priest will be over you in all that pertains to the LORD; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all that pertains to the king. Also the Levites shall be officers before you. Act resolutely, and the LORD be with the upright."

This portion tells us some of the responsibilities of a priest of God who serves a godly king. Judges were appointed in towns, and some of them remained to handle the difficult cases that were appealed to Jerusalem. The judges were to be fair, not showing partiality to poor or rich, to male or female, to one people or tribe over another, nor taking bribes from anyone. Do we know the difference between murder and manslaughter? Do we know the difference between the penalties for theft and kidnapping, or even the theft of different animals? Without knowledge of God’s word we cannot teach it to others as was the responsibility of the priests and Levites.

Conclusion

The task of a king or a priest is a difficult one. Civil leaders, such as kings and governors, enforce the law of God. Religious leaders, the priest and Levites, are responsible for teaching the law to the people and for judging obedience to the law as well as the degrees of disobedience, from disobeying through ignorance or weakness to presumptuous and high-handed rebellion against God. We must first rule ourselves before we will be given rule over others, and we must know God’s law before we can teach it.

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Isa 32:1 NLT

Look, a righteous king is coming! And honest princes will rule under him.

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Thy Kingdom come… Amen

(* editing is done to shorten length - you are encouraged to read the full commentary where applicable)

Proverbs

Wisdom for those that will rule …

Proverbs 2:6

For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 19:11

A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

Proverbs 16:32

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

Proverbs 21:22

A wise man scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

Proverbs 20:3

Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man…

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Gal 4:19

"…until Christ is formed in you" - For He isour Wisdom and our High Priest

Saying(s)

"Whatever our creed, we feel that no good deed can by any possibility go unrewarded, no evil deed unpunished" Orison Sweet Marden

This quote is a basic precept of ruling and reigning with Yeshua. And how should we know what to do? By using Torah (YHVH’s instructions) as our guide.

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Yeshua, Your law must be firmly embedded in our lives to know how to mercifully apply it daily.

Bible Quiz

What miracle did Yeshua (Jesus) do in Nain?

What did Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson have in common?

In which city was Peter when he received the vision of the sheet?

Who gave Himself as ransom for all?

What was Naaman’s occupation?

To whom did God say, "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there"?

Who said, "So do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife"?

Humility

In our pursuit of humility:

(Lessons from humility and death to self.)

"Humility leads to perfect death. Humility means giving up self, taking the place of perfect nothingness before God." Andrew Murray

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We need to be as Yeshua (Jesus) in every aspect. He humbled Himself that He might redeem us from the kingdom of darkness; placing us into His kingdom of light. We too need to die to self and be raised up like Yeshua that we also might reign with Him at His 2nd coming.

Rom 6:1

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

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Yeshua, Master, it is our desire to be like You in all things - we must die to self and sin, daily.

Prayer

Understanding the precepts of prayer.

Nehemiah, was a Jewish captive, a high official and cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in the Persian Empire. Do we have a relationship with YHVH to the degree that we can quickly call to Him in prayer and expect an answer before we speak, as Nehemiah did?

Nehemiah 2:1

And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid. 3 And I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?" 4 Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it."

Nehemiah’s quick response was tempered with an awesome fear of the "God of heaven" ratherthan his fear of this great earthly king.

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YHVH, we can be a captive of our earthly cares; may we find peace and freedom in Messiah.

Heart of God

How does God feel about issues we face today?

Path to Holiness

Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, for it is written, "You shall be holy, because I am holy."

(1Pet 1:14 -16 NET)

We are to be holy as God is holy.Do you feel that you are not where you need to be, that you have so far to go? Do not look down on the progress made. You have changed - you will continue to change. The fact that you need to keep changing does not mean the change you did before was not valuable or of no worth. All change for the better is good. Even little changes add up. Everything is cumulative. Good and bad. Grow the good, weed out the bad. Spiritually, physically, and mentally. Decisions and deliberate action, this is the path to holiness.

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.

(Zech 4:10 NLT)

Material in this section is based on various prayer diaries.

Did you know

There must be government. Some governments have some great attributes, others not so great, all have issues. There will only be One government that will reign supreme - God’s Kingdom.

Statements made by well known individuals - some humorous some not. Consider these for some day you may be in a place of authority.

1. In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress.
-- John Adams

2. If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.
-- Mark Twain

4. I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-- Winston Churchill

5. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
-- George Bernard Shaw

6. A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.
-- G. Gordon Liddy

7. Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
-- James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

8. Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.
-- Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

9. Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
-- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

10. Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.
-- Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

11. Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
-- Ronald Reagan (1986)

12. I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.
-- Will Rogers

13. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!
-- P.J. O'Rourke (Consider the affordable Health Care.)

14. In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
-- Voltaire (1764)

15. Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!
-- Pericles (430 B.C.)

16. No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.
-- Mark Twain (1866)

17. Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.
-- Anonymous

18. The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
-- Winston Churchill

19. The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.
-- Mark Twain

20. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
-- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

21. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
-- Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

23. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-- Thomas Jefferson

From An E-mail

Snow Tips

Some Helpful Hints To Help Deal With Winter Easier!

Keep your headlights clear with car wax! Just wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights. It will last up to six weeks.

Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol! Wipe the wipers with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. This one trick can make badly streaking and squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence and clarity.

Ice-proof and frost-proof your windows with vinegar! Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water and spritz it on all your windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water-preventing water from freezing!

Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray!Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors and rub it in with a paper towel. The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber.

Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream! Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield and wipe if off with paper towels. Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.

De-ice your locks in seconds with hand sanitizer! Just put some hand sanitizer gel on the key and the lock and the problem is solved!

Lighter Side

Understanding Engineers - lesson one

A priest, a doctor and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, 'What's with these people? We've been waiting for 15 minutes!'

The doctor chimed in, 'I don't know, but I've never seen such ineptitude!' The priest said, 'Hey, here comes the green keeper. Let's have a word with him.'

'Hi George, what's the matter with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?'

The green keeper replied, 'Oh, yes, that's a group of blind fire-fighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime.'

The group was silent for a moment. Then the priest said, 'That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight.'

The doctor said, 'Good idea. And I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist friend and see if there is anything he can do for them.'

Normal people ... believe that if it isn't broken, don't fix it.Engineers believe that if it isn't broken, it doesn't have enough features yet.

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Understanding Engineers - lesson???

One day, an engineer was crossing a road when a frog called out to him and said, 'If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess'.He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, 'If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will be your friend.'

The engineer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket. The frog then cried out, 'If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll be your friend and get you ANYTHING you want.'

Again the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket. Finally, the frog asked, 'What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess; I'll be your friend and get you anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?'The engineer said, 'Look. I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's cool.

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Have a good day!

Cause and Effect

Scribbles

(By Michael Boldea Jr.)

We Must Stand

"For some reason we’ve come to believe that the enemy will simply stop short of our citadels, that he will stop short of besieging the towers if we just give up enough ground. Surely the enemy will be content with a partial victory, surely his desire is not to overrun the entire house of God. If this is what your believe, if you believe that the enemy will stop short, than your don’t really know the enemy we face. His desire is the utter destruction of God’s house, and he will not stop short of his goal. This is why we must stand, this is why we must boldly proclaim the truth and defend even those things we consider as insignificant or of little importance."

Eph 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Eph 6:13

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Michael Boldea Jr.

Consider

A good neighbor doubles the value of a house

The misfortunes hardest to beat are those that never come

For a daily uplift, look in a mirror and say, "God doesn’t make junk!"

True friendship is like good health. The value of it is seldom known until it is lost.

Cherish all the happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age

Whether the task is large or small, do it right or not at all

You can’t borrow your way into prosperity

Bytes

God's Words

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

(Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV)

As Moses recaps the forty-year journey of the people of Israel through the wilderness, he explains the purpose of the provision of manna. Manna was the food that miraculously appeared on the ground each day, except on the Sabbath. Through this God was teaching the people to rely solely upon Him. The statement "man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" is sometimes taken to mean that our lives depend on not just physical substance, but also upon God. But that is not what this says. What we have here is actually two ways of living. One is "by bread alone"; the other is "by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD". Either we live life dependent on the fulfilling of our basic physical needs or upon God. The people of Israel needed to learn that for life to be lived the way God intended, we need to be dependent upon him alone.

Note that relying upon God is not described in vague terms, but with reference to His words. Moses didn't say that man lives by depending or trusting in God, which would be true, but that "man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD". Living life the way God intends requires strict attention to His every word.

The New Covenant writings state:

And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

(2 Peter 1:19-21)

There has been a growing tendency among Bible believers to think that it is only the meaning of the words and not the words themselves that are inspired by God. Failing to accept that words determine meaning, opens us up to all sorts of concepts that God never intended.

God inspired the writers of Scripture to write the very words through which He has revealed both Himself and His will to us.

It is true that there are many differences between the way the writers of Scripture and we today view the world. But perhaps if we lived by every word that came from God's mouth, we would once again view the world the way God does.

By Alan Gilman
TorahBytes Communications

*(This document was edited for length)

Psalm Promise

Psalm 121:1-8

I Will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come? My help

comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.

YHVH is our Keeper - praise Him all you people; so let it be.

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Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…)

Essence of Message

Exodus 19:5-6

'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;

and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."